Adjusting To Parenthood
by Surgical Rose
Summary: Naomi's starting to find out that parenting isn't as easy as it sounds...Maybe Gabe could give her a few pointers...    Naomi's past is also starting to cave in on her like a tidal wave...What will happen when Alyssa is brought into the light of truth?
1. Following The Footsteps Of A Delphian

Okay! Testing, testing; 1, 2, 3! Oh good it's working! I just want to say; "Hello! Every-body!"

I told you guys that I was going to create one-shots/small stories for the characters of Trauma Team! This also includes the "Extra Scenes" from each and every character. (Yes I do mean each and **every **character, so Little Rose and Albert Sartre will get there turn!)

This idea came first and I think you can tell which character I'm starting off with...

Yep it's Naomi!

I won't have any author comments at the beginning anymore, so you guys can get straight into the reading! This is just the prologue, but fear not, chapter one is on its way. Problem though; first time doing a Trauma Team fanfic without using the actual storylines (except the extra scene, I'll do one of my lengthening scenes, using Naomi's cutscene for reference.), so I'll need your support and criticism in order for me to improve!

Disclaimer: I don't own Trauma Team nor its characters or storylines.

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**Adjustment Series:**

**Book One: "Adjusting to Parenthood"**

**By Naomi Kimishima**

**Prologue:**

** Following the Footsteps of a Delphian.**

You'd think that having a good friend that has a ten year-old son would be able to provide you with at least **some** advice on caring for children...Wouldn't they? Well...My friend hasn't got a **single** clue in the "Parenting" field... I can't say I'm not surprised after all; all he does nowadays is diagnose his patients and send them to the correct doctors like a good little diagnostician should. I can't ask my colleagues either or I'll **never** hear the end of it from them...

I best start at the beginning...Tell you my whole story.

I'm Dr. Naomi Kimishima, a Medical Examiner from CIFM. Within the past month I've run into several cases linking to the most recent epidemic in the whole of America; the Rosalia virus in Portland. During those cases, I've adopted a small 8 year-old girl (Alyssa Breslin) and her mischievous, black cat Chloe (who was already becoming a handful...)

About two weeks ago, I was discharged from Resurgam Hospital in order to resume my normal life... No, that's not right... I was discharged from Resurgam Hospital to start adjusting to Parenthood and face all the ups and downs of being a parent. Some of you might say "You're a woman! You should be able to handle kids just fine!" But here's some food for thought; Alyssa is the first and only child I have spoken to and somehow I don't think that she'll want to be my daughter, when the word about my past gets to her...

Gabe said to me earlier that I should keep my head up high and be proud of myself if Alyssa wants to follow in my footsteps...

Somehow, I think he doesn't know how much that thought scares me, so.

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This'll be the first story that I hope to complete by the end of 2011, but don't worry! I will continue "Our Memories" as well! This will just be a continuation from the ending of Trauma Team.

Please tell me what you think!


	2. The Eat Well Plate

**Adjustment Series:**

**Book One: "Adjusting to Parenthood"**

**By Naomi Kimishima**

**Chapter One: "Eat Well" Plate**

I stood in between the door to Diagnostician's Office and the said man himself. He stood with a concerned look on his face and a clean, white cigarette that was freshly lit hanging out of the corner of his mouth. His dark green hair was a large fur ball today; no attempts of it being forced into a ponytail were present, also his amber eyes were surrounded with blood vessels and a light pink tint and he had obviously couldn't be bothered to shave as his five o'clock shadow was clearer than ever. If you don't know who he is by now, then I suggest you find Chief Patel and ask for a diagnostician. The man I'm referring to is a **very** good friend of mine; Gabriel Cunningham.

"So..." I asked the only sarcastic doctor in Resurgam Hospital, "How is she doing?"

The middle-aged man took a long, steady inhale and removed the cigarette from his mouth and exhaled. He then fiddled with the file he had in his hands, which I could've sworn was growing larger and larger every time he walked out of a room.

"Well...Let's just say, you aren't doing very well. No, actually, your **daughter **isn't doing very well..."

"...What's...Wrong with Alyssa? Is she not responding to the medication?" I asked hesitantly.

"No, no, no! She's responding fine to the medication...The problem is...Well her **diet** is the problem."

"What do you mean her diet is the problem? Are you saying that I'm starving her!"

"Uh...No! No! You're feeding her the right amount, it's just the balance of food isn't quite right."

I raised an eyebrow quizzically, folded my arms at the Diagnostician that had his hands raised in a defensive position and leant against the door, giving him the "look"

"Balance...?"

"Oh good **GOD** Naomi?" Gabe sighed over-dramatically and smacked his free hand against his forehead, "Haven't you heard of the "Eat Well" plate!"

"No I haven't" I stated, "But I have a feeling that you're going to tell me anyway..."

Gabe shoved the folder into my hands and went into a nearby room. He was yelling and shouting very loudly and throwing his weight around too. I couldn't help, but laugh at his childish behaviour. After a few minutes he came out with a large plate piled high with a variety of different foods and liquids.

"This is the amount she needs to eat. Daily. Naomi you're either feeding her too much of a certain group or not feeding her enough." _"You make it sound like she's an animal..."_

"What do you mean? She's eaten everything I've put on her plate! Alyssa helps herself to fruits and other snacks during the day if she feels hungry and-"

"I know! Alyssa told me herself, but where are her meals coming from? Take-aways? Restaurants? Cafes? I don't think those are the right kind of places to get food from everyday, Naomi... It's not healthy."

I snorted and rolled my eyes, "This coming from a doctor that smokes..."

"She's showing signs of Malnutrition and Appendicitis... She's needs surgery...Again." Gabe stated boldly.

"How is she showing signs of Malnutrition? She's been eating healthily!" I shouted. _"If Gabe thinks he can get away with questioning __**my**__ authority as a parent, then he better do a quick rain check on his relationships at home..."_

"The wounds from that bombing two months ago haven't healed up yet. Those bandages were supposed to have been removed a few weeks ago, but the kid told me that they looked almost identical to the wounds Alyssa had, when he treated her. Alyssa was also complaining that it was too cold in the exam room. I had RONI check the temperature of the room and she said it was an "acceptable" room temperature."

"...I see. What about the scans?"

"Well...That's want I...Uh...Wanted to talk to you about..." Gabe mumbled.

"...How...bad are they?" _"And do I really want to know the truth...?"_

"Her appendix is swollen and inflamed, just as we feared, and she's already lost some of her muscle and tissue mass... We need written consent from the parent in order to proceed with the operation."

"Alright. I understand...You...Have my consent."

The door handle turned and a very pale Alyssa wobbled out of the room. Her hair was clinging to her face and tears were pouring down her face, she was clutching her stomach tightly.

"Hey! What are you doing out of the Examination Room, didn't I tell you to stay inside, until I say otherwise?" Gabe shouted at her. The funny thing about Gabe is...Well apart from his hair that is like a giant ball of fluff and his sarcastic comments, is that he'll happily disobey any orders from his colleagues, but when a **patient **of his disobeys any of his instructions, he shouts and yells at them, until they follow it... BUT if **he** thinks he can get away with ordering **my** daughter around, then he's got another thing coming!

"Gabe!" I yelled at him, to get him to stop lecturing Alyssa. He paused and straightened up, pretending to fix his tie, as he waltzed into his office. I knelt down to Alyssa's height and stroked her hair.

"What's wrong Alyssa?" I asked softly.

"N-Naomi...M-My tummy hurts..." Alyssa sobbed and produced fresh tears, when she tightened the grip on her stomach.

"Where does it hurt around your stomach?"

"Ri-Right here" She gestured to the lower right area of her pelvis, "It hu-hurts every time I-I touch it, but grabbing my-my tummy helps the p-pain go away..."

Hesitantly, I pulled her into an embrace and rubbed her back softly.

"It's alright Alyssa. Everything's going to be okay...I promise." She nodded and let go of me and then gasped, as Gabe lifted her up onto his shoulders.

"Come on Alyssa... I'm taking you to Surgery. A really nice fella is coming in to do it and your mom will assist him!" Gabe chuckled and gave me a sly, secretive wink.

"R-Really?" Alyssa asked uncertainly, "Cause mommy told me that she's not allowed to operate..."

"That was before I had my operation Alyssa." I informed her. Then it struck me.

"_She called me...Mommy...?"_

"Come on Alyssa!" Gabe said enthusiastically, jumping in the air and then running down the hall, "Let's goooooooooooooooooo"

Alyssa screamed loudly, as Gabe turned round the corner. I smiled and thought to myself, _"He's a great father...It's just a shame that he can't bond with his son like that..." _I strode over towards Surgery and met up with an even more paler looking Alyssa and a Gabe that was cussing and cursing to high heaven.

"Argh! Naomi!" Gabe whined, "That little **brat** threw up over me!"

"Her name's **Alyssa**!" I snapped.

Alyssa looked down and shuffled around nervously and whispered an "I'm sorry Doctor"

"Yeah, well you should be! Now I gotta go take a shower! **Without** my oxygen mask!" Gabe complained, as he walked off towards the showers and shouted a "Yo kid" to the raven-haired surgeon that was heading towards us.

"Excuse me, Miss. Do you know what was wrong with Dr. Cunningham just now?" He asked politely.

"Yes. He was just upset that Alyssa threw up over him, by accident." I told him bluntly. He nodded and went back to checking his charts. Maria came skidding round the corner and pulled CR-S01 into a rough headlock and ruffled his hair. He struggled for a little while, but Alyssa walked over to Maria and politely asked if she could let go of him.

"Ah ha! Sorry! I got a little over-excited." She said apologetically, lightly ruffling Alyssa's hair, then bent down to pick up the charts CR-S01 dropped, "I just saw Gabe in the foulest mood ever! He shoved Emma into Darrell and now Chief is screaming her lungs out at him! *haha* Bastard's getting his just desserts! So kid, who are you operating on?"

"Umm...Miss?" Alyssa asked nervously, "What's a ba-"I quickly covered Alyssa's mouth with my hand.

"Hmm? Oh, my next patient is... Alyssa...Kimishima? Dr. Kimishima, I didn't know you had a daughter." The young surgeon looked at me with surprise.

"I...Recently, adopted her... Her appendix needs to be removed."

"Very well then, Alyssa could you go with Maria please?" CR-S01 asked Alyssa, she nodded and took hold of Maria's hand and walked off.

"This may sound odd..." He began, "But... I don't know how to perform an appendectomy..."

I grinned, "That's fine. I'll assist and guide you through it."

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Did everyone like it so far? I hope I didn't make any Alyssa fans upset by saying that Alyssa needs Surgery again...

Please tell me what you think!


	3. Appendectomy & NV01

**Adjustment Series:**

**Book One; Adjusting to Parenthood**

**By Naomi Kimishima**

**Chapter Two; Appendectomy & "NV-01"**

We both strode into the operation room and prepped for our operation. Around about two minutes later, Maria brought in Alyssa. I could tell that Maria had changed her bandages, whilst she was unconscious, as they looked cleaner and they were fixed with Mr. Bump stickers. It was just me, the surgeon and...The patient. There were no nurses to help us either...But it shouldn't be that much of a problem.

"Alright..." I said wearily, pulling on my rubber gloves and fixing my silver hair into a tight bun, "Let's begin the briefing."

The raven-haired, crimson-eyed surgeon opposite me nodded and cleared his throat.

"My- Uh...The patient... Alyssa Kimishima has been complaining of pain in her lower right area on her stomach...Dr. Cunningham had already performed a diagnosis and says that it's Appendicitis and small signs of Malnutrition too...Unfortunately, the Appendicitis has already grown to the point where mere antibiotics can treat it." I stuttered. It felt odd referring to Gabe as "Dr." And my daughter as "patient".

"Understood."

"The Malnutrition has caused reduced masses of tissue, so using objects like the laser, syringe and scalpel can cause extra injuries if you apply to much pressure. Got it?"

"Yes...Let's begin the Appendectomy!" CR-S01 stated he immediately began with the usual antibiotic gel over the incision area and a clean cut down the guideline.

The operational view zoomed into the appendix. It looked normal...No signs of festering and the vitals seem stable enough. Alright...This should be a simple operation.

"Begin by injecting the sedative into the Appendix."

The kid did what he was told with no hesitation.

"Next remove the mesoappendix, but be careful! You need to trace the guideline carefully or you'll create a laceration."

CR-S01 carefully and delicately traced the guideline; however when he made the first incision into the mesoappendix, and mixture of pus and blood began to creep out.

"Stop for a moment and get the drain. Pus and blood is starting to seep out."

"_What the heck! Gabe didn't mention anything about pus in the mesoappendix, unless..."_

After the pus and blood was drained, there was a thin red line across the lower intestine. The kid sutured it up and affixed synthetic membranes around it and resumed removing the mesoappendix. Stopping every now and again to drain any pus and suturing any wounds he made.

"_Amazing...I didn't even have to tell him...Derek could have a new rival..."_

"Dr...What's next?"

"Hm?" I wasn't paying attention. The surgeon looked at me and frowned slightly, "Oh! Right...I'm sorry; tie these wires around the top of the Appendix and the other about a centimetre above it."

"Are...You feeling okay, Doctor?" He asked curiously.

"I'm fine, your surgical skills just reminded me of someone who me and Ga- I mean _Dr_. Cunningham used to work with."

"_Damn...Remember to keep the formalities, Naomi..."_

The kid was about to pick up a scalpel and cut in between the wires, but I stopped him and tightened the wires a little more. He thanked me and made the incision. The whole operational area became flooded with blood and pus.

"Ugh! Blood and pus, I'll drain it, whilst you extract the Appendix and cover the area with synthetic membranes. We're going to need a lot so go get them!"

He rummaged around the cupboards for the membranes, whilst I kept the area clean. My eyes narrowed at the small splotches that began to form around the gap.

"Get some anti-inflammatory too! We'll need to alter her diagnose slightly after this and change it to Peritonitis..."

Needless to say, the rest of the operation went smoothly, but there was still something that was bothering me... Did Gabe purposefully make that misdiagnosis or did Alyssa's condition worsen after the diagnosis was made? If the latter was the case, then...What caused it to worsen so quickly?

"Ah! Dr. Kimishima, there you are!" Little Guy shouted, as he skidded round the corner of the corridor. He was panting and nervously looking behind him every few minutes, while he got enough breath back.

"Well, uh...T-Take this." He mumbled. He handed me his FBI Badge, gun, licenses, wallet and keys...Oh and a letter with my name on it.

"Little Guy..." I said uncertainly, "What's going on...?"

"FREEZE! Special Investigator Navel, you are under arrest!" Ian Holden bellowed holding up a gun and aiming it at Navel. The said "criminal" turned round and held up his hands in the air.

"Relax! I was here to give some of my things to Dr. Kimishima, the **only** person I know from CIFM and the **only** person that I have had contact with." He stated clearly, walking towards Ian, but I pulled him back and whispered harshly into his ear "What in the **hell** is going on here! What did **you** do!"

"They caught me." He murmured back.

"Special Investigator Navel, you are hear by stripped of your "Special Investigator" title and have been assigned the prison cell number; NV-01. You are charged with working with and keeping regular contact with your affiliates from the bioterroist group known as the" Delphi"...How do you plead?" Ian told him acidly, as he cuffed Navel and placed a metal choker around his neck with a nametag that read; "NV-01". I could hardly believe what was going on. I thought Little- NV-01 was **smarter** than that! He's such an **idiot** to get caught...

"...Guilty..." He dryly replied. He didn't say anything after that; he just walked away with the other two agents that were with Ian.

"Miss Kimishima..." I turned my head toward Ian, slightly worried on what he was going to say to me, "I know this must've been quite a shock to discover that your colleague was one of them...But a new liason will be assigned to you by next week. If you want to provide any evidence that proves his innocence, then you have approximately 72 hours to go through all FBI records, databases and look through files on his computer and examine his office. Do you understand?"

I closed my eyes and nodded. The events that just happened had already done enough to steal my speech.

"Oh...One more thing, feel free to interrogate him as much as you like...We need to know everything he knows, before his trial."

As if I thought Little Guy's situation could get any worse...

"Wh-What will happen...If he's found guilty?" I found myself asking

"Him...Well since he's pleaded guilty like CR-S01 did, he'll be shoved into the same conditions; a freezing cold cell and a 250 year sentence."

And with that, Ian left...

I felt my hands curl up into tight fists. My cool, calm personality side to myself had disappeared at that point. The objects in my hand felt like they were cutting into my hand. I flung them at the nearest wall.

"UGH!"

His badge hit the wall and smashed into several pieces.

"_Why...!"_

The wallet hit the wall, bounced back and landed a few centimetres away from me.

"_Is he...That stupid! That __**careless**__!"_

His licenses landed in a small messy pile.

"_He must've known that he needed to be careful!"_

The keys made a loud noise as it came into contact with the wall.

"_So why...Why did he even __**try**__ in the first place!"_

"DAMMIT!" I screamed, throwing the gun and the wall and accidently firing a round into the floor. I collapsed into a heap and began crying.

"_I didn't want him to get too close...Just in case __**this**__ happened..."_

"...Sometimes, there's just not enough objects to throw..." I heard someone's voice next to me. I picked up the wallet that was near me and lobbed it at the diagnostician.

"Leave...Now." I choked out.

"Hey...I can understand you're upset and shocked. I mean you didn't know your **pet** was part of the Delphi-"

"**Never** speak of that **wretched** place again." I spat at him and then realized the mistake I made, but he shrugged.

"I know it wasn't a pleasant experience, but sooner or later people are going to find out and you need to face the music Naomi."

"_This is why I didn't want to get close to him or know him anymore...He used me...And I didn't want to get used again...That's why I treated him so coldly, but he kept insisting...It's __**his **__fault, dammit? So why do I feel so...guilty?"_

I looked at Gabe in horror, but he just mouthed "Derek told me" and helped me up.

"But the thing that shocked me the most Naomi...Is the fact you knew all along, didn't you? You knew the truth and let it eat away at you...I thought you could talk to me about anything, Naomi..." Gabe's tone of voice...I didn't, I didn't need the guilt trip right now...I don't need it...

"I knew the truth...But I **never** talk about my past...And you know that." I tried to tell him harshly.

"Wrong." He yelled, "You're wrong, you talked to me about everything that was troubling you, when we were-"

I pulled my arm out of his grip and collected the remains of Little Guy's things and stormed out of the hospital.

This was just a horrid and vivid nightmare...

That was only going to get worse...

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Oh lordy, I nearly forgot to put in some comments :/

Well...Looking at this chapter, it's quite dramatic isn't it? Perhaps a little too dramatic?

I don't think it is, but then again that is going to be biased because I'm the one who wrote it.

I really would like to know what you think of the story so far and what your thoughts on Naomi's new liason is going to be like.

And if you want something specific to happen in the story, then leave me a PM and I'll make sure to include it in!

I don't bite...

Promise! :D


	4. Hanakotoba

**Adjustment Series:**

**Book One: Adjusting to Parenthood**

**By Naomi Kimishima**

**Chapter Three; Hanakotoba**

**

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**

I'll tell you what I hate most about work. It's the fact that my boss is too sympathetic. He blatantly refused to allow me to throw myself back into work the day after Little Guy's arrest and Alyssa's operation.

He had specifically told me (and these were his exact words...)

"Go home. You've been through quite a lot recently and I don't think you'll be able to work as well as you normally do without having the haunting thoughts of your ex-liaison's arrestment and your daughter's operation..."

We had an argument after he said that. It got so bad that I very nearly lashed out at him. Luckily, he had called security to drag me away, before I could do any real damage. I'll never forget the reflection of my face on the marble floors of CIFM. The neat bun I had carefully scraped my silver hair into had many strands of hair out of place, the black mascara and eyeliner streaming down my face and my blue eye shadow smeared and my plum lips covered with blood (I had to bite my lip on a numerous amount of occasions in order to prevent myself from screaming out the truth...And most likely getting myself fired at the same time) My face was paler that a fresh white sheet. Many of my co-workers were whispering in awe and shock about the state I was in. They had a right to do that, they knew and saw me as the "Corpse Whisperer" an ice-cold, secretive woman that minded her own business, kept a cool head on her shoulders and could hear the last words of the dead. Now they saw me as an emotionally unstable woman in a fit of rage and angst.

But that was me about four days ago, within that time I had decided to change my appearance once again, so that I looked and felt like a different person. The question was; could **this** identity fully block out the memories of my past?

My silver hair was trimmed so that it only lightly touched my shoulders. Alyssa had decorated my hair, by very carefully curling it into large, loose curls and added sparkling, purple roses around the top of my head (Alyssa wasn't allowed out yet, so she begged me to do it in the hospital under Maria's strict supervision). Instead of a charcoal black mascara and eyeliner outlining my eyes, I decided to go for a more subtle soft grey colour and pale lavender eye shadow to match. The lipstick colour was a difficult colour to decide upon. I had constantly told Alyssa that I was going to stick with my dark plum colour, but she won me over with those large, pleading emerald eyes of hers and I ended up with a light pink lip gloss. The outfit I was wearing is what Gabe had bought for me... (Strange...He doesn't have a bad taste in clothing after all...) which was; a plain, black, low-cut, v-neck shirt, a loose royal purple, silk tie that hung in the exposed area, a long, flowing black skirt that looked like a very rich purple if it was caught by the correct amount of light (eg. Out in broad daylight), calf-length, black high heels and two pairs of earrings (the pair I had in were a large pair of amethyst studs, the other pair were golden monarch butterflies hanging from enchanting sapphire diamonds, which were still sat in a box, untouched, at home.)

I had attempted to walk a different route to work, but a shabby looking sedan was parked directly in front of my house. I rubbed my temples and cursed the day I had ever given that doctor my home address. The driver seemed to be performing a guitar solo to "Smells like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana and nearly smashed the window of the passenger's seat. I chuckled to myself and lightly tapped on the driver's window. Gabe jumped and opened the passenger door in a hurry and urged me to get in. I just sighed and did as I was asked.

"You looked like you were having fun!" I joked, Gabe only coughed and switched off the radio and drove out of the street.

"So...Uh, h-how are you?" Gabe mumbled, chewing on what looked like...a nicorette? He quite clearly didn't want to talk about his guitar solo...

"I'm...doing better, thanks."

"That's...Good to hear."

I started to feel a little...warmer than usual and more jumpy in my seat. I defiantly knew the tension in the car was starting to suffocate the pair of us.

"_Are we nearly __**there **__yet! I'll be hearing my last words on my mobile at this rate!"_

And as if by magic, my handbag began to emit a strange, ominous, purple glow. I took the phone out of my handbag carefully and shakily opened it. I closed my eyes and listened carefully. There was a loud shuffling noise and what seemed to resemble, keys jingling together...Either that or...Chains. Someone was breathing heavily on the other end and sounded like they were sobbing... A male sobbing sound. The grip on my phone grew tighter as I saw a very blurry image. I couldn't tell what the person looked like or any physical features, all I saw was smears of dark grey, white and a small smear of red that began to spread. The white, blonde and red blur began to move towards...me?

"N-No...I...I won't...go like this" The male choked out, he stood still and tightened his fists.

Hold on a second...

Yes...It was the male's fists; the image was slowly coming into focus.

"Sh-She isn't dead!" He yelled at the ceiling and stumbled backwards into the wall, "She...Can't be!"

One of the smears was slowly forming the man's hair...and the red smear grew larger still. I could tell by looking at the shade of red, that it was blood. Not bloody sputum not dried blood, but pure blood.

I felt a slight chill touch my shoulder. I could've sworn I had opened my eyes at that moment. But if they were open...Why could I still see the image?

By now, the male was sobbing loudly and coughing up blood begging me not to come any closer. I couldn't control my movements, but I felt myself slowly come closer to him.

I then stopped. He was making a choking sound that I recognised all too well...Rosalia...This man is dying from...Rosalia!

I faintly heard someone yelling my name and I felt my whole body being forcefully removed from the area. The male's eyes had become fogged, but I knew who the person was just by locking my blue eyes with his- amber ones! Gabe? But just now I saw-

"*sigh* Thank god, your back." Gabe said relieved and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. I tried to sit up, but he forcefully shoved me back down, "Don't try to move, you just blacked out a minute ago and I don't want you doing it again...You'll damage my car!"

I rolled my eyes at Gabe's concern for his car. _If he loves it so much, then why does it not get looked after properly? I mean the thing is almost falling apart (the large dent in the back and mud says it all...)_

"You probably want to know what happened, right."

I nodded; he sighed and pulled out another nicorette, twisted the top half and shoved it into his mouth.

"You answered your voodoo hotline and shut your eyes. You had them shut for quite a while actually, so I pulled the car over for a bit and checked to see if you were okay, but you opened your eyes and shoved me off. I assumed that you were back, but...Your eyes had a...foggy and distant look to them and then **bang**! Your head collided with the passenger door. You were out for like...two, three minutes...ish."

"Oh how **professional, **_doctor._" I sighed sarcastically.

He shrugged and simply retorted with an "It's before nine, so I don't have to be professional."

I eventually managed to open the passenger door and walk to the CIFM gates, only to nearly trip up and have Gabe catch me.

"Whoa! You sure your feeling alright, Naomi?" He joked, as he pulled (well more like dragged) me into CIFM. I had managed to gather enough strength to pull myself out of his grip and latch onto the handle of my office.

"You didn't have to escort me the whole way here. I can walk by myself you know." I informed him, I pulled out the key to my office and shoved it into the lock and desperately tried to open it. Gabe gently pushed me out of the way and opened it with a swift motion.

"Ta da." He said non-enthusiastically, when the door opened. I stormed into my office and tried to slam the door in his face, but he trapped his foot in the door and waltzed in and threw his nicorette into the bin and replaced it with a toothpick.

"So this is your office, huh? It's much bigger than mine..." He mumbled to himself, as I pulled out many manila files from the filing cabinet and tossed them onto the mahogany coffee table, which was currently occupied with a large variety of flowers in countless amounts of colours.

Gabe was sniggering to himself, which turned into a roaring laughter. I span round and raised my eyebrow. He held out roughly 5 small cards, which were addressed to me. _Gabe was never interested in his own mail...Huh? What's with all the flowers on the table?_

I looked at the first card which both sides were covered with small, rough black handwriting. I could clearly make out who it was from as the sender's name was written carefully in dark orange.

The card read;

"_Naomi!_

_Hey! I hope that a certain someone didn't ruin the surprise by telling you about the flower covered table in your office! We all chipped in and got a bouquet of flowers from each and every one of us! We figured out that roses might be your favourite...Well actually; Gabe told us roses were your favourites, but I got you lilies...Cause, y'know, roses remind me of Rose. That and a special "little guy" told me that lilies were your favourite. I, uh...Wanted to thank you for...Letting me see Rose again, even if it was to get an antiserum, but she's like a sister to me, y'know? Ever since I saved her from that fire, she wouldn't leave me alone, but...I missed her and it was a shock seeing her body as an adipocere. I thought she'd be alive and running around, frolicking in the flowers. I wanted to also thank you and your "little guy" for sending the recordings that Rose had done to me and the kid. He was shocked to hear about his sister too...But he wasn't as heartbroken as I was._

_I hope that you and Alyssa get well soon and can go and pick up Chloe from the Old Ward. Seriously, that cat is a huge handful (I don't know how you deal with her...) she's tripped me up several times and tried to play with the loose wiring in the place!_

_Good luck!_

_Maria Torres"_

I smiled; it had been quite a sad moment in Maria's life to find out the fate of the child she had rescued. But still, that doesn't tell me why Gabe had laughed at this... Could it have been one of the other four? I chose the one that had the smallest handwriting and ended with their name in purple writing and a small lotus flower drawn in the corner.

"_Dr. Kimishima_

_I trust that you, Alyssa and Chloe have been well over these past few weeks. As Maria mentioned in her letter, we all bought you a bouquet of flowers each. My bouquet, however, is to you and the rest of your family as a thank you for helping us with the Rosalia virus. If it wasn't for you and Maria, we never would've saved nearly as many lives as we did. I had decided to follow __Hanakotoba__ and buy you and your family many varieties of flowers. The __Suisen__, __Shiro Keshi__ and __Bara__ are only a few of the flowers, but I do hope that one day...You'll be able to discover the meanings and messages that I am sending to you and your family for yourselves._

_Tomoe Tachibana"_

I was slightly surprised at the use of Japanese in the letter, however I was more surprised at the fact that someone else understood Hanakotoba as well...But then again, not the reason why Gabe was laughing so hard. I looked at the next card with had small, unrecognisable handwriting. I grabbed the nearest magnifying glass and held it over the card. The small, blood red word was visible in an instant. It was from "CR-S01".

"_Dear Dr. Naomi Kimishima..._

_

* * *

_

Hey all! HAPPY NEW YEAR! I'm super excited to say its 2011 and my birthday is TOMORROW! I can hardly wait!

I thought it'd be a nice idea if I involved the other characters in this, so I thought to myself one evening; how about I get the doctors and nurses from Resurgam to write small messages to Naomi and/or Alyssa wishing her good luck and to get well soon. Y'know as a nice sort of "filler" if you like. That and I thought it'd be going too overdramatic if I dove straight into the next part without giving you some time to let it sink in first and think about what might happen next.

Tomoe's Letter: Hanakotoba is the Japanese language of flowers

Suisen – Daffodil – Means respect

Shiro Keshi – White Poppy – Means rejoice

Bara – White Rose – Means Innocence/Devotion/Silence (in this case it means; Innocence)

Please leave a review when you get the chance! When you do you'll get a Momoirobara! (Feel free to find out what it means in Hanakotoba ;) )


	5. Hanakotoba II

_Recap;_

_I had received a few letters from the doctors at Resurgam, as well as a bouquet of flowers from each of them. Maria had gotten me lilies, as she heard from a "little guy" that they were my favourite...Whereas Tomoe followed Hanakotoba and had gotten me a variety of flowers. I ended my last entry after I read the first sentence of CR-S01's letter._

**Adjustment Series;**

**Book One; Adjusting to Parenthood**

**By Naomi Kimishima**

**Chapter 4; Hanakotoba II**

"_Dear Dr. Naomi Kimishima,_

_I assume that you and Miss. Alyssa __Breslin__ Kimishima are recovering from your surgeries well and that there are no complications. But should either you or Alyssa experience any unusual symptoms please book an appointment with Dr. Gabriel Cunningham via the reception desk. Dr. Maria Torres suggested that I write you a "get well soon" card and buy you some flowers...To be honest I don't know which flowers you liked, but I knew that you wouldn't want to see any Asclepius flowers after the Rosalia Virus epidemic. So I asked around Resurgam for advice. Dr. Gabriel Cunningham told me that roses were your favourite and white was your favourite colour. I searched all over Portland and was able to find a bouquet of white roses for you._

_Please try to refrain from straining yourself._

_CR-S01"_

Well, I didn't expect the surgeon to go through all that trouble just to find the white roses; then again I didn't expect to have a flower-covered table and a Gabe struggling to stay awake on my sofa in my office either...

"Hey Naomi...Take a look at this one!" Gabe exclaimed. His tone of voice was quite surprised. I wondered who that card was from. I sat down next to him and looked over his shoulder. This card was an actual card, not the small business cards that the doctors from Resurgam wrote on. On the front it had a field of cosmos in a variety of flowers and many different, sparkly butterflies that looked like they were flying on the front. Gabe opened the card carefully and we both widened our eyes at the words written on the inside, as well as the small folder of pictures that came spilling out.

"_Naomi Kimishima,_

_How are you? I hope that the surgery was a success and that you're making a steady recovery. Word got to me about the "flower table" so I thought that me and Angie should pitch in. Unfortunately, Tyler also heard about it and made everyone write a small message and get a flower bouquet, so we ended up sending you a lot more flowers than we originally planned. Hehe, sorry if it's completely taken over your office and knowing Gabe, he's muddled up the cards, so you can't tell which bouquet is from whom._

_Oh and hey, speaking of Angie. Guess who's gonna be a father soon! Yeah, I know...I was freaking out when I heard from Leslie, not to mention the scary fact that we still have to tell Angie's dad. I just hope that I come back from telling him in one piece and who knows, perhaps you and Gabe could give me pointers. Haha, anyways, how is... Rosalia is it? Or was it Alyssa...Maybe both? Uhh...I'm not sure which one it is, so I'm going to go with my gut and say it's Alyssa. Is she feeling alright? Cause, y'know...I've tasted your cooking... Going back to the subject of babies...Guess who's just had one? Cybil M- Kasal...Sorry Cybil Kasal. (My mentor, Greg Kasal, from Hope Hospital's wife) They've had an adorable daughter named Kari and they've declared Director Hoffman as the "granddad" you can guess on how "thrilled" he was about that._

_Man...There's so much that's happened over the past few years...It's so crazy...I wish that you, Gabe and all the other doctors could come for a visit soon...I think some of them could get along with some of the new staff we're training at the moment (Just remind me to keep them far away from Tyler and his pranks as well as Victor, when he needs a nap...)_

_I really hope I can see you two soon!_

_Derek Stiles_

_PS. I heard from Gabe that the surgeon...CR-S01, I think it is could be a potential rival...I think this calls for a small challenge..."_

"Heh, sounds like Derek's been busy..." We both laughed. I could see other small messages written around Derek's.

"_Get well soon! I look forward to meeting Alyssa; I hope she's as cute as Kari is!_

_Leslie Sears (soon to be Chase)"_

"_It was a pleasure to work with you. I've heard about Navel; too...Wish him luck for me. He has no idea on how risky it is for someone like him to be working for them. I hope your recovery goes smoothly._

_Professor Kenneth Blackwell"_

A slow, icy, menacing chill crept up my spine as I read Kenneth's message. I shivered, when I reached the end of it. His name brought back too many memories to the surface.

"_Hey! Aww, come on! I had this awesome prank set up too! Ah well...See you soon, m'kay?_

_Tyler Chase"_

"_Get better._

_Victor Niguel_

_PS. My __**wife may **__get assigned to you. I heard from her last week."_

From what I had heard about Victor's personality from Derek, he was a sad, grouchy researcher that spent all day drinking coffee and wrapping himself up in paperwork. (Now who do we know that bears a slight resemblance to him?) He was the type of guy that didn't get excited about anything and would state stuff bluntly and as harshly as possible. But hearing he had a **wife** was about as shocking as Gabe filling out paperwork.

"_I would like to thank you for aiding Derek in operating on me. I hope your recovery goes as smoothly as mine did._

_Robert Hoffman."_

Ahh, yes. Robert Hoffman...The director of Caduceus USA. His operation was my last. It was a long battle, but luckily we were able to come out of it alive and eventually found a cure for GUILT. The virus I was tricked, deceived and blackmailed into researching...I had made a promise to myself that day to never allow myself to become that vulnerable again.

"_We wish you a healthy recovery, Miss Kimishima._

_Sidney Kasal."_

"_Parenting can be difficult at first, but it gets easier as they grow older. Just keep that in mind. I look forward to meeting you in person, Miss Kimishima._

_Stephen Clarks."_

"_We'll look forward to meeting your daughter, Miss Kimishima. We wish you a speedy recovery._

_Greg, Cybil and Kari Kasal."_

"_I hope that you and Alyssa will be okay and it looks like we will be learning the ropes of parenthood together too! Don't worry; I'll keep Tyler in line, when you and Gabriel come for a visit. I can hardly wait to meet Alyssa! I've heard from Derek that she gets along well with Gabriel's son Joshua very well. (You could end up being in-laws at this rate, haha.)Oh, I'm also looking forward to introducing you to some of the new staff here at Caduceus too! I hope that you two fully recover soon!_

_Angie Thompson."_

I was shocked at how many people knew about me and Alyssa, as well as my disease. Judging, by the look on Gabe's face, I think he just read Angie's message and was panicking at the thought of us being related.

"*sigh* God, Angie...He's 10 and she's 8! It's gonna be...10 years before they even reach that stage! Ugh...I hate her so much for putting that mental image in my head." Gabe whined loudly. Sighing, I bent over and picked up the photos that had spilled out from the card. Ah, finally we find out what Gabe's been laughing at...There was a picture of Derek asleep on his desk and Tyler had drawn on his face and taped a sign on his back, then there was a picture of Derek when he woke up and saw his face in the mirror. I stopped at the picture of a small infant in a cot.

Looking at the size of her...She was about a month old and had a full head of hair already. She had short, rich, ink blue hair and a pair of eyes that was very difficult to tell whether they were pink/purple or very light brown. The girl was smiling and had a plastic, yellow defibrillator in her hands. She was wearing a white dress and lavender socks with frills on the top. I could only assume that it was Kari, as it was the only baby mentioned in the messages that could match with this photo. I had to admit, she was a very adorable child.

"And what the hell does she means by "in-laws"! I'm not gonna be related to him, as soon as the divorce goes through and I'm sure they don't love each other already? I mean for **Gods** sake's she's 8! Naomi! How are you **not **stressed about this?" Gabe yelled; he was on one of his infamous rants about his son again. Fortunately, over the years I've learned to tune it out completely. I picked up the 3 remaining cards and studied the handwriting. On one card there was three separate messages each written carefully and easily readable, on another there was the messiest handwriting I've ever seen with someone else's message written neatly at the bottom and on the final card, there was only one message that seemed to have taken up not one, but two whole cards. (Remember, I did say that Gabe had handed me _roughly_ 5 cards in my last entry)

I read who they were from on each card. The first card was from Chief Patel, Nurse Wilson and Nurse Sellers, the second from Gabe (well, that explains the messy handwriting) and Dr. Freebird and the third card didn't say who it was from. No, I lie; I didn't want to know...I refuse to let myself be affected by this...Moron's reckless choice for any longer.

* * *

And guess who decides which card Naomi reads next! That's right, it you guys! You guys get to pick which card is read out next!

You can choose from;

Card Number One – Esha, Emma and Darnell

Card Number Two – Gabe and Hank

Card Number Three – Mystery Card Writer

Card Number Four –Any Trauma Team or Trauma Center character I have happened to have missed.


	6. Hanakotoba III & Sympathy

_Recap;_

_I had some letters from doctors at Resurgam, wishing me and Alyssa luck in our recovery. Surprisingly, I had received a letter from the staff at Caduceus USA as well. I had also learned that Victor's wife may get assigned to me...I wonder if she's as narcissistic as her husband is..._

_

* * *

_

**Adjustment Series;**

**Book One; **

"**Adjusting To Parenthood"**

**By Naomi Kimishima**

**Chapter Five;**

**Hanakotoba III & Sympathy**

**

* * *

**

*sigh* I knew I couldn't put this one off forever, not matter how many times I try. It will still linger in the back of my mind...I hastily threw the other letters onto my desk and propped myself up against the wall and read the letter carefully word for word.

"_Naomi..._

_I'm sure the news has possibly reached you, or you've seen it first hand, but, uh...The adoption papers have definitely gone through and Alyssa is now your daughter! From this day onwards, Alyssa Breslin is now officially Alyssa Kimishima._

_I'm praying with all my heart that you're ok. You had absolutely no idea how scared I was, when David and I got the call from...that man...I literally ran out of CIFM straight to Resurgam. Alyssa was out of bed and wandered into us. Bless her; she was so worried about you. She wouldn't stop asking where you were. None of the doctors looked at her in the eyes and told her the truth. I'm sorry if you get angry at me...But...That man told me to tell her. Alyssa was crying throughout the whole operation and to be honest so did I, once I heard a cellphone go off. She had cried herself to sleep, so I took her back to bed and stayed with her until Maria and the prisoner came in delivering the good news._

_I've seen the operation tapes...And heard what...that man has said on the way here...I know you may not want to talk about it, but the paramedic told me that she was full of guilt for not telling anyone...She told me that you told her not to tell anyone about it...But why? Why didn't you tell anyone, Naomi? We could've gotten you some help earlier! I mean, don't get me wrong, I won't judge you if you're scared of going under the knife yourself...But...If that...thing, the pupa-shaped worm thing in your heart had hatched- Y-You wouldn't be here right now- It-It pains me to think of what could've happened to you...Don't ever scare me or Alyssa like that ever again! When I had heard you'd collapsed, I thought you were dead! I thought that your disease had taken your life!" _

That was the end of the first card. I blinked hard to try not to cry at his sob story. I can vividly remember every word we had said to one another. His letter reopened the scars that I had fought to keep sealed and covered up for months.

"_**These **__people aren't afraid to die. There's no need to __**waste**__ your sympathy on the choices they've made."_

"_Don't worry about me. Sympathy isn't an emotion I feel much anymore. The patients exist so I can save them; it's as simple as that."_

"_**We're**__ the ones who transferred you to an American Hospital, when you __**lost**__ your license. Without us, you wouldn't even __**have**__ a new name, and you wouldn't __**have**__ a new life...Dr. __**Kimishima**__."_

"_...Trust me—No-one understands my position better than I do. You fixed my broken wings and I'm willing to repay that favour, no matter what it costs."_

Although, I'd have to admit...We were very cold and emotionless back then. We didn't even feel any emotions anymore and our philosophical views on life had become warped. I proceeded to read the second card;

_Heh...I remember back a few years ago, when we were cold, emotionless puppets of the Delphi. We were so professional back then and I knew the truth behind the Delphi's intentions. Unfortunately, I was...Ordered to release the GUILT hidden inside the chambers. My...Superiors had told me that you knew too much and hoped that you'd be infected with GUILT and die from it...I...Wasn't capable of thinking for myself back then. I followed my orders, but I could've sworn I defied them; that I protected you from the escaped GUILT. *sigh* If only...If only I could've backed out of it and saved my family. But we were already too far in to escape. I'm sure that they'd be ashamed of me if they saw what happened to me._

_I should've known that...That I'd get caught...Sooner or later. I was...Careless. It was obvious that I had no idea what I was doing. If...You don't know what I'm talking about, then...Well...I uh was arrested, by the FBI. They found out about me working for the Delphi... So...I've been put in the same prison as the surgeon that operated on you. *sigh*...I'm terrified...I've never been to prison before and I have no idea what I'm going to be treated like. I have a strong suspicion that I'll be beaten bloody and bruised._

_I...Need to talk to you about something...It's uh...Kind of important, so whenever you get the chance...Just give me a call...Please._

_Little Guy"_

Dear God...I never thought about how his inmates would treat him...

"Naomi? You just gonna stare at that letter all day or are you gonna play my little game?" Gabe cheekily grinned and cocked his head towards the flowers. I shot him a dirty look and grabbed my purse.

"I'm going somewhere...Let Chief Wayne know that I'll be back later." I replied.

Gabe raised his eyebrows and sat upright and pulled out another nicorette, "You're seriously going to **him**! You must still be out of it..." He snarled at me. I flinched at the emphasis he put on "him".

"So what if I am?" I coolly answered back.

"I talked to the kid, y'know! He's not doing well!" Gabe cautioned.

"It doesn't matter...I'm still going to see him!" I strutted out of the door.

"Tch, I've examined him! No matter what you do, he's not gonna make it." He yelled after me. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"W-What do you mean?" I asked apprehensively.

"Oh! Now you listen!" Gabe scoffed, "I only said that to get your attention, y'know!"

"Bastard..." I muttered under my breath, "What do you want?"

"Why are you going to see him?"

"I need to check if he's okay...Nothing more." I rushed out.

Gabe grinned slyly and shrugged his shoulders, "Alright. I won't stop you. Go and have fun and leave an old timer like me to rest!"

"Gabe...You're not that old." I stated flatly.

I heard him sigh over dramatically and mumble, "Sheesh...Someone's shoved a pole too far up your ass today...What happened to your sense of humour?"

**

* * *

**

**Portland Prison – NV-01's Prison Cell.**

I walked up to him, slowly. Each step carefully timed and placed. I reached up and removed my coat, leaving my in just my new CIFM uniform. I carefully laid the black coat over his shoulders. I then moved some of his thin, wispy, sandy lock away from his face and dragged his head upwards. His hands clamped around mine and forcefully removed them from his face. His touch was cold and frightened. I'd hate to think what some of the prisoners have done to him. I shivered, as his hands took hold of mine again. He lightly caressed the back of my hands with his thumbs. I knelt down to his level to get a better view of his face. There was a small, pink scratch running down the side of his face.

I ran my finger along the cut smoothly. He hissed as my finger made contact with his face. Once I had finished tracing the cut on his face, I noticed small, red wounds around his neck...If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were..._Rope burns!_

"Little Guy..." I whispered breathlessly. Guilt began to gather and cloak around my heart; I had to stop myself from crying. Fortunately, I had remembered to take a first-aid kit with me, in case I ran into some trouble. I took out the antibiotic gel and poured a small drizzle over my fingers and rubbed it into Little Guy's face wound. I tilted his head upward slightly and sprayed some more onto his neck. Cautiously, I rubbed it into his neck wounds. I could feel a growl build up in his throat, as my fingers lightly brushed against the wounds. After I had finished taking care of his neck wounds, I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Why...Didn't you tell anyone, Little Guy? Who did this to you?"

"No-one...You shouldn't waste your sympathy on me. I knew what I was getting myself into..." His voice had become monotonous, small and broken. I pulled and locked my eyes onto his and fiddled with his hair.

"That's a lie, Agent...You're not the type of person who'd try to-"

"You don't know." He blurted out and withdrew a shaky breath, "You don't know...The, the torture...Th-They do to p-people like me..."

_People like him...? No way...Have they tortured any Delphi members they find!_

"Calm down...Tell me what happened to you."

Little Guy grabbed my shoulders and began to weep.

_I've never seen a grown man cry...Just what did they do to him?_

This wasn't the happy-go-lucky Little Guy in front of me anymore...This wasn't the cold-hearted Assistant Navel from two years ago either...This was the broken man, Prisoner Number "NV-01"

* * *

I have to admit...This one took some planning and preparation. But don't worry! I haven't forgotten about Gabe, Hank, Esha, Emma and Darnell's letters! They've just been put to one side for now! I felt like it was time to bring back Little Guy.

Just to fill you in a little bit; this is the Little Guy after **one** week of being in prison.

The other prison members are allowed out for about an hour, in order to stretch their legs and eat meals. They're heavily guarded by FBI Agents at all times.


	7. Reopened Wounds

Recap;

_After reading Little Guy's letter, I had ran out to see him (after being semi-interrogated by Gabe – what was his problem anyways? Lying about something so serious... That's just not like him; he wouldn't take it __**that**__ far...Would he?)_

_When I had found his cell and walked inside, I slowly realised what some of the prisoners have done to him, after one week. I have a deep suspicion that the prisoners didn't find out by themselves._

_

* * *

_

**Adjustment Series;**

**Book One; "Adjusting to Parenthood"**

**By Naomi Kimishima**

**Chapter Six: Reopened Wounds**

I tightly pulled his closer to me. His arms wrapped around my waist and he buried his face into my collarbone. I nestled my chin on top of his head and stroked his back soothingly. His breath hitched in his throat, when my hand reached an area just below his shoulder blade. The area felt warmer that the rest and it also felt like something was...Pulsing under my hand. I looked at my hand and met with a familiar sight of blood.

"Little Guy, I need to have a look at your back...Is that okay?" I whispered softly to him, using a soft, gentle tone of voice, as if I was talking to Alyssa or someone younger. He hesitated briefly and then nodded slowly and turned around. He struggled to pull off his shirt for a few minutes, but when he eventually got his shirt off, I gasped at the horrid sight.

There were large scars of a tender pink colour spreading in a radial pattern across his back. One particular scar caught my eye though. The one below his left shoulder blade, that was poorly covered with synthetic membranes and was soiled with blood. I carefully peeled the membranes off, watching closely for any reactions from Little Guy that indicated that he was in pain. Softly, I dabbed the gauze over the wound, in order to clean the blood up properly and then drowned the area in membranes and antibiotic gel and covered them with a bandage.

"Where did these scars come from, Agent? They look recent." I asked my shivering partner. I handed him back his shirt to put on.

"F-From the S-Sandra Lieberman case...The bomb meant for the First Lady."

_How could I be so careless? I should've known that! But that wound looked too...Precise to be self-inflicted. It's either Little Guy's got a hidden skill with knives...Or someone with access to this cell is doing this to him...I suspect the latter is the case._

"What about the wound I bandaged?" I pried.

"P-Please...Don't make me talk about it..." Little Guy begged weakly. I re-draped my coat over his shoulders and sat on the bench next to him. Little Guy leant forward and rested his forehead against the wall.

"Why...Are you...Here?" He croaked out, snivelling slightly in between his words.

"You asked me too."

He sighed heavily and managed a faint smile.

"That's right...I did." He chuckled nervously. His ice-blue, watery eyes looked at mine, glittering with sorrow. He shyly inched closer to me and wrapped his arms around my neck. "You...Look cold." He murmured against my collarbone. I fought back a hot blush and shivered slightly. We stayed like this for a few minutes, Little Guy hiccupping/sobbing slightly every few minutes. He ended up resting his head against my chest, his eyelids drooping heavily and his breathing slowly becoming relaxed.

"Little Guy..." I whispered to him, brushing a few remaining tears away from his cheeks, "I want you to promise me something.

"I'll...Do anything for you, Dr. Kimi...Shima" Little Guy responded drowsily adding more pressure onto my chest.

"Promise me that...No matter how bad you're...Situation is, don't give up."

"Naomi..." He whispered lovingly, "I...Promise."

_Good, that's what I wanted to hear._

I looked down at Little Guy who had fallen asleep at this point. I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair again. Despite the cold air that was being repeatedly blown around the room, he looked comfortable and at peace with himself. His scent was alluring and smelled heavenly of cinnamon and French vanilla. I kissed the top of his head and leant against the cool, metal wall and slept for awhile.

* * *

**Time Skip: Approx. 30 minutes**

"Naomi..." I heard a faint voice call out to me. I shifted slightly and drowsily opened my eyes. Little Guy was awake and looking a little less pale than earlier, "*sigh* Ah, thank goodness...I was beginning to get worried."

I checked my phone for any messages. There were 3 from Gabe, 2 from Chief Wayne and a missed call. I checked my messages;

_From: Gabe_

_Received At: 12:31 pm_

_Message:_

_Naomi, its Gabe...Sorry for earlier, I'm going to check up on your brat, text you later._

Funny...But he's going to get it later, I'm pretty damn **sure** he didn't mean his apology.

_From: Chief Wayne_

_Received At: 12:46 pm_

_Message: Naomi, just to let you know that you're new liaison has shown up at work earlier. Her name is; Camilla Niguel. She works at the same level as you do, so I hope that you two will get along._

Niguel...Well that confirms it. She's Victor's wife; do I even want to know what she's like? If Chief Wayne is telling the truth, then I won't be going easy on her...

_From: Gabe_

_Received At: 13:01 pm_

_Message: Is Alyssa allergic to cheese? She wants a cheese sandwich and OMG! She bears a strong resemblance to you sometimes! And I'll be __**cooking**__ this meal... That reminds me... I'm hungry. :S_

As far as I'm aware...I don't know if she is or not. The only cooking Gabe will be doing, is watching a cooking show on a Saturday morning, and anxiously waiting for the football highlights. I'm willing to bet anything that Gabe won't actually cook anything. He'll just buy food from a supermarket and claim that he made it.

_From: Chief Wayne_

_Received At: 13:14 pm_

_Message: Don't worry about your paperwork for the previous cases. Camilla's looked at the case reports and finished your paperwork for you. Your next case has been e-mailed to her, she's already analyzed all the data that has been provided and has drawn up a few conclusions. She'll give you a more detailed analysis, when you return to work._

Impressive...If she's able to do that within a few minutes, then I may need to keep a close eye on her...She could easily find out about my past if I slip up...

_Missed Call From: Unknown Number_

_Received At: 13:23 pm_

_Press "1" to call them back._

I hesitantly pressed "1" on the keypad and placed the phone up to my ear. I heard the familiar vibration and smoke caress my cheeks.

This time round it was a room, full of people. I could recognise a few faces that were nearer the front of the room, but the rest of the people in the back of the room were coloured blurs. I heard a female coughing and choking. The blur of brown and green began to spew blood and slide down the wall. I saw a smaller blur of white enter the room and hold the brown and green blur. The white blur seemed to be wailing her head off, as the brown and green blur carried on coughing up blood...

My head very nearly met the floor, as I snapped back to reality. Little Guy had supported me and was looking very frightened and pale.

"N-naomi!" He exclaimed relieved, "You were about to pass out, so I ran an-"

"That's fine, Agent. Thank you." I cut Little Guy off.

_First a male, now a female...What's going on? Ugh, if I left my mind drift back to those phone calls, I feel faint... Gabe... He was in that recent phone call. He was one of the two people, aside from me, in the room that wasn't a blur._

"You...Need to leave." Little Guy stated bluntly, "Now...Before-"He stopped himself from saying anything more.

"I understand. Don't forget your promise." I smiled softly at the prisoner. His cheeks became tinted slightly with a pale shade of rose.

As I left his cell and headed back to CIFM, for once in my life I decided on a vow.

_Little Guy...My promise to you is to save you...No matter what._

It would be dishonourable if I broke that vow. The Kimishima children would make a vow on our ancestor's graves to **never** break any promises or vows we make, once we turn 18.

* * *

This wasn't the original way I was planning this to turn out like, but after reading through it, I decided to keep out a few important little details, just to keep you guessing.

Next chapter will be a little different. Every 5/6 chapters there will be a "Bonus Chapter" which basically means, that you'll be viewing Naomi's storyline so far through someone else's eyes. You'll hear their thoughts and opinions on the matter so far (almost like the Prologue of this story) and you'll learn things about the story plot that Naomi doesn't know yet.

Keep an eye on some of the other Adjustment stories, as they could tell/spoil some of the plotline for this one. Each story is intertwined with all the other ones.

Any guesses on who it is on the recent phone call?


	8. C'est la vies, NV01

**Adjustment Series:**

**Book One:**

**Adjusting to Parenthood**

**By: NV-01**

**

* * *

**

"Oh NV-01!"

_That voice...That cold, sweet, yet sickly voice._

"Where are you my little, Delphian **scum**?"

_It can't be...It's her! B-But, she wasn't supposed to turn up until n-next week..._

_

* * *

_

**BONUS CHAPTER ONE:**

_C'est la vies...NV-01_

I recoiled away from her silky voice and clung to myself tightly. My ice blue eyes watched her black boots tread cautiously around the cell. Luckily, I was in the safest place I could think of...Under my bed.

"Oh...So that's how it is? I leave you for one day and then you disappear?" She pouted, dragging her heels across the floor. She stopped right beside my bed. I heard her inhale deeply, "You've had another woman in here, haven't you?" She sneered acidly. Her hand dove under the bed and dragged me out from under the bed by my hair. I screamed at this immense pain that was shooting through my scalp, which burned away Naomi's soothing, gentle touch. My screams of pain and desperation made those blood, red lips curl up into a satisfactory grin.

"Answer me, dearest." She demanded sweetly, giving my hair an extra tug, "Have you had that **Corpse Whisperer** in here?" She spat Naomi's nickname like it was a sin to say such a thing.

"Y-Yes..." I choked out, gritting my teeth in pain as she tightened her grip.

"Hrmph...Smells like antibiotic gel in here too. I'll fix that." She sneered, pulling out a needle and prepping the needle. She aimed the needle at my arm, but I squirmed around and sent the needle flying across the room. Growling, she pressed my face against the floor.

"You **brat**!" She hissed, kicking my stomach hard, "Where's your cold attitude?"

She forcefully knocked the wind out of me, via kicking me in the chest.

_I won't give up this time...I'll try to...Fight. For her._

"Where's your _precious_ GUILT?"

Using all the strength I could muster, I blocked the boot that was aimed for my chest and shoved it back and rolled away from her. My torturer clicked her teeth and tutted disapprovingly, as I struggled to get away from her.

_I have to...try._

"Where's you salvation? Your hero? Your lover?" She yelled, kicking me as hard as she could for one last time. Slowly, I brought myself up onto my knees.

"Just as I thought. Without your Adam, you're nothing but a weak, worthless being! What's your purpose in life? Chasing after the **Corpse** Whisperer? Who do you live for? That spoilt **Devil Doctor**? What will you do when she's gone? What if she **hates** you, too?" She hissed, before leaving.

I bought my knees up to my chest and shivered as I wailed softly to myself.

_What if she's right...? What if she does hate me? What if...Sh-She..._

I felt my body go limp, as I fell into a peaceful, undisturbed slumber.

* * *

1 Hour Later

I heard a loud screeching come from the door as it opened. A light patter of footsteps walked over towards me and nudged me slightly.

"Hey...wake up."

Her voice was soft and gentle. Drowsily, I opened my eyes and came face to face with a new girl. She had short, blue hair that was in a high ponytail and had long, plaited bangs that reached her elbows. Her copper eyes scanned my face for any signs of response. She giggled and nudged me again.

"Come on sleepy head! We're gonna be late!" She chirped. I blinked and looked at her disbelievingly. She sounded like...Alyssa. But she's too chirpy to be a FBI agent.

_Her first day on the job, perhaps?_

She reached out her hand and pulled me up. Quickly, she fumbled around with the keys that were attached to her belt and removed the shackles around my ankles and dragged me out of my cell.

I did my best to avoid the dirty glowers that were shot at me by the other FBI officers. I hear whispers of Traitor, Delphian Scum cloud my thoughts.

I looked at the new girl. She had a beam on her face and said hello to everyone near her. They responded with a flat hello and then resumed their busy schedules. Since I was out in better light, i could see what she was wearing.

She had a short, navy pair of shorts on with a thin, black belt loosely attached, as well as a black blouse to match. She wore elbow length, fingerless navy gloves and had royal purple high heels that made a short, clipped "clack" noise as they hit the tiles.

She led me into a large, plain-looking hall that was filled with many silver tables of four and chairs that weren't comfortable to sit on for long. I had only been here a week, but I've only just familiarized myself with meal time procedures.

7am/Noon/5pm: Agents responsible for their allocated prisoners fetch them from their cells and bring them into the dining hall. 2 prisoners and their FBI agents to a table, then one of the FBI agents would go and get everyone's meals and a mug of strong, black coffee for each of the agents.

I would be paired up with different FBI Agents and prisoners. So far, nearly all of them have tried to rip out my throat after they found out what I was in here for. I knew this lunch would probably be the same...

Today was Thursday, so that meant it was tuna and salmon salad with any side orders they liked and a basic ham and lettuce sandwich on wholemeal bread for us, as well as some water.

"Ah, you must be the new agent, Mizore Weaver, correct?" Ian asked, sticking his hand out, which Mizore shook eagerly.

"Uh huh! You must be Ian Holden! I've heard a lot about you!" She replied, grinning. I noticed a familiar raven-haired male hiding behind Agent Holden. He peeked out from behind Ian slightly. My ice-blue eyes met with his crimson ones.

"Please, have a seat Miss Weaver. I'll go and get lunch today. I'd also like you to get acquainted with CR-S01 and NV-01 here as well." Ian bluntly stated, gesturing towards the table we were nearest. Mizore ran over and plonked herself on the nearest seat. I walked over and sat next to her and CR-S01 sat opposite me.

"You're...An FBI Agent, right? Why are you in a...Prisoner's uniform?" CR-S01 asked timidly. I winced slightly at his question. Mizore seemed to be occupied by looking around the room.

"I- Uh..." I stuttered, trying to find a good reason.

_Should I tell him the truth? He might understand, but then again...He's spent the last 8 years in prison, so he wouldn't know. I don't have a clue on what he's like! Can I even trust him? And what about that new agent? Is she friendlier than...her or cold like Naomi?_

"Hey, what's your name by the way? It must be degrading having them call you a combination of letters and numbers." Mizore asked the surgeon. He looked at her blankly.

"My...Name?" He asked slowly.

"Yep! I mean, you shouldn't have to run around calling me "Agent Weaver" all the time, it's just not fair! I want you two to call me Mizore and I'll call you by your names! Does that sound fair?"

"Yes, but...I don't remember-"CR-S01 started shyly.

"Ah, yes. I remember who you are now...Cumberland College, huh? Jeez, that must've sucked!" She sighed and rested her hands behind her head.

CR-S01 smiled slightly, "You remind me of someone I work with at Resurgam..."

Mizore grinned widely and then turned to me, "What about you?"

"I'm...Navel." I muttered.

"Well, Navel." She said, mimicking my tone and then brightening up, "I hope you and I can be as close as CR and Ian are!"

CR-S01 choked on his water slightly and I just sighed, resisting the urge to face palm.

_Do they let anyone become an FBI Agent these days? I'm curious to learn why the FBI accepted her..._

"Eat up. Your doctor's appointment is in 30 minutes." Ian stated, placing the tray on the table and handing the correct dishes to the appropriate people and then sitting next to CR-S01. The two Agents became quickly engrossed in the mealtimes procedure.

"A...Doctor's appointment, I wonder if Dr. Cunningham is coming this week." CR-S01 mused out loud, eyeing the sandwich suspiciously.

"Him?" I spat out, "I thought he was too..." I paused momentarily, trying to find the right word to describe him without sounding too rude, "Busy...To come and check up on us."

"Hm, apparently he's asked to see you two personally." Ian sneered, "I don't know what he's thinking, but don't think for one second that we won't be there in case he tries to pull something."

"Eh? You know this diagnostician, Ian?" Mizore asked, leaning in closer. I stopped listening part way through and resumed to eat my lunch. CR-S01 looked at me for a brief moment and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"...Do you...Not like Dr. Cunningham?" He whispered.

"Yeah...And?" I whispered back.

"Why? I mean, I know he can be a little bit immature."

"Hrn, I don't know...I just get the feeling that Naomi likes him better than me." I admitted. My eyes widened in horror, when I realised what I had just said.

_Why did I say that! ? He could tell that man and then- Or worse...He could Naomi and then she would __**never**__ let me hear the end of it!_

"Why don't you talk to him about it?" He suggested, taking his first bite out of his sandwich.

"I can't do that..."

"Yo, Ian!" A loud voice echoed through the room. I glanced up and caught site of Gabriel at the door, grinning like an idiot with a nicorette hanging out of his mouth, "Is it time for me to collect the kids?"

I growled at being referred to as a kid. Mizore and CR-S01 looked at me startled. Ian glared at Gabriel and gestured me to go up to him. Mizore saw how reluctant I was and walked with me.

"Dr. Cunningham, I presume? I'm Agent Weaver." Mizore spoke solemnly. I looked at her dumbfounded at her sudden change of character, "This is NV-01...He'll be going in for a brief diagnosis today."

"Heh, sorry princess. No can do, I got orders from his _lover_ to examine him fully." He grinned, winking at me when he said "lover". I growled at him and wrinkled my nose at the foul odour. Even if he was chewing on a nicorette, he still reeked of cigarettes and had a distinctive odour of alcohol too. He looked at me, with his mocking amber eyes, "Well then kiddo...Shall we get this over with?"

"The sooner the better" I gritted through my teeth, marching past him. Gabriel raised his hands defensively and smirked.

* * *

What happens in Little Guy's diagnosis? Well, you'll have to wait and see in perhaps Little Guy's next chapter...Or maybe in Gabe's storyline... I'm not sure yet...


	9. Shock

**Adjustment Series:**

**Book One:**

**Adjusting to Parenthood**

**By Naomi Kimishima**

**Chapter Eight:**

**Shock**

**

* * *

**

**Cumberland Institute of Forensic Medicine**

I sighed briefly, before placing my weight onto the door and shutting it behind me. I stared at the floor, slowly letting my mind wander to the time I spent with Little Guy in his cell.

_That scratch...That scar...His behaviour. Something is definitely off... And I need to get to the bottom of it, fast, before any more damage is caused! Think Naomi, did anything look odd in that room?_

Squeezing my eyes shut, I scanned my memory for anything suspicious-looking that happened to be in Little Guy's cell. The only things that came to mind were the wounds on him. I shuddered at the memory.

_Maybe I could use his appearance as a guideline... The thin, pink scratch... It's highly unlikely that it was caused by anything like a knife, because the cut isn't deep enough to be a knife wound. That wound on his back, however looks like it had been done fairly recently, but there weren't any traces of blood in his cell. I'll need to go back in there at some point..._

I staggered over to my desk and saw a photo of him and Alyssa. They were both smiling. I compared the picture of him to the man I saw in my memory.

_His...Body, when he was in the cell seemed to be...Thinner? This is only speculation, though... I need to get a diagnostician to him for a diagnosis._

"Are you just gonna stare at your desk all day or are you gonna tell me what's up?" Gabe grumbled from where he was lying on my sofa. Dazed, I spun round and stared at him. An idea slowly crept into my head, as well as a sweet smile across my face.

"I need a favour." I declared.

"Well, whadda need?" Gabe asked, sitting upright and shoving another nicorette into his mouth.

"Are you able to request a diagnosis on a prisoner?"

"Well, duh! How else am I gonna check up on the kid?" Gabe pointed out, lazily slinging his feet onto the glass table. There was a brief moment of silence and then the penny dropped.

"Oh...No" Gabe exclaimed uncertainly. He looked at me with a panicked look on his face, "You don't...Do you?"

I grinned, "I was wondering, when it was going to get through to you and yes, I want you to do it."

"B-But c'mon, you're a doctor **too**! You could've done it when you were in there!" He whined, flinging his arms in the air. He sighed and held his head in his hands, "Why do **I** have to do it, anyway?" He grumbled bitterly.

"I have a theory and I need proof." I retorted, Gabe was about to scream something, but I cut him off "Stop acting like a child and **go**!" I scolded.

Gabe sighed again and reluctantly dragged himself to the door. Whilst I was rummaging around in my filing cabinet I called out, "If you see Chief Wayne, let him know that I'm going to be working on Little Guy's case and nothing else!" Gabe grumbled something incoherent and slammed the door.

I pulled out a folder and eagerly opened it up. I scanned through all the data I had, seeing if any of the information he used to get into his situation could be used as a motive.

_Date of Birth...Is the same. Parents...still have the same names. Experience... This is where he lied. Apparently, he trained at Cumberland College and St. Francis Hospital. Could have this been one of the motives? If that was the case... I need more information. Little Guy didn't give me enough material to work with here..._

I switched on the computer and resumed to look over Little Guy's fake FBI alias. A sharp, ringing noise filled the silence in my office. I clicked on the small icon in the lower right corner.

"This is Dr. Kimishima, who is this?"

"_Ah, Dr. Kimishima, I was wondering when you'd return!" _A heavy, feminine Irish accent filled the room.

"Who is this?"

"_Oh, pardon me. I'm Camilla Niguel, lovely to meet you!"_

"You must be...My ex-liaison's replacement...Welcome to CIFM."

"_I couldn't help but over hear that you were going to abandon all our cases for... NV-01's case. May I remind you that this is an Institute of Forensic Medicine! We are not a law office. This law case isn't of any concern to us. I shall report this to Wright & Co. Law Offices immediately!" _She lectured. She certainly wasn't making a good first impression by telling me what to do.

"I'm sorry...Who's in charge of **whom** again?" I snapped at the cheeky liaison.

"_I-I didn't mean any disrespect, but-"_

"I'm sure you didn't, Camilla. But keep in mind that if **I** say what case we are going to take isn't important to us and then **I'll** let you know. Just remember that and we'll get along fine."

"_Y-Yes Ma'am...Sorry Ma'am. Do you need me to analyze anything for you?" _I could tell that she was withholding another "ma'am" at the end of that sentence.

"Not really no, but I do need a favour. Go to NV-01's prison cell and interrogate him and please don't be too harsh on him...He's been through a lot."

"_A-About what?"_

"There are some injuries on his right cheek and upper left back area. I want you to get as much information and detail as you can from him about the person that has done this to him, is that clear Camilla?"

There was a brief moment of silence, before Camilla spoke again.

"_Yes Ma'am...I'll head there immediately." _Camilla replied sweetly, before hanging up.

I relaxed in my chair. _Now to wait until either Gabe or Camilla comes back with some information...I should probably sort these flowers out, before they become too much of a problem._

I glanced at the wide variety of flowers and decided to go and find the letters I had placed earlier and re-read/finish reading them. I picked up the card that I knew it was from Gabe (the scruffy, handwriting is an obvious giveaway...) it has someone else's handwriting on there as well, which seemed to be much neater than the average Doctor's handwriting.

_Psh, you don't need me to write out a sappy card out. Well, just in case I'm not there, here's your letter. You may have discovered a flower-covered table in your office; each flower bouquet had a card with it. Key word; had, I jumbled them up in order to "Test your skills" some of the people have told you what flowers they've gotten you (Spoil sports...) Anyways, I'll give you a hint for my flower bouquet; Roses are red, violets are blue, actually violets are violet, but y'know they're all wrapped up in the same cloth._

_Gabe_

I snorted and rolled my eyes at his typical behaviour. He must have gotten me and Derek mixed up. It's Derek that has trouble with puzzles and riddles, not me. It's quite obvious that Gabe had gotten me roses and some violets...Now, where are they? I began to manoeuvre some of the flowers around, matching up any bouquets that I knew who the belonged to and eventually found them at the bottom of the pile. All I was left with were some tiger lilies, roses, primroses, buttercups and daises and some lavender. I deduced that they were from Caduceus' staff.

A high-pitched beeping filled the air. I was expecting Little Guy's voice to come from the speakers, but my heart dropped slightly when I heard Camilla's voice instead.

"_Dr. Kimishima...The interrogation results have returned..."_

"Good, can you send it over to my recorder?" I asked, trying not to show my disappointment.

"Of course! It'll be known as "NV-01 – Interrogation""

I clicked on the recorder and opened up the file.

There seemed to be a crackling noise and a weak cough.

"_Why...are you here?_

_H-huh? N-Naomi sent you?_

_Well..._

_Uh- Hold on! Slow down a bit!_

_What do you mean by associates?_

_Wha-? I'm not playing dumb!_

_No, I only met her when I started working with the FBI._

_*cough* No...I, uh... Fell off my bed and hit the floor stomach first._

_This? I had an itch on my nose and my chains accidently scratched my face._

_No...I originally had a few, but they've healed up._

_M-My back? Th-Those were from the Raging Bomber case._

_Oh, you've heard about it, huh? Yeah...I, uh...Protected her from that explosion._

_I...Guess that wound hadn't been treated properly._

_Wa-Wait a moment!_

_I already had that __**bastard **__practically tackle me to try and figure what's wrong with me!_

_What the hell makes you think I'm gonna let you __**touch**__ me! ?_

The recording ended there.

* * *

This is sort of a filler chapter, so that you'd get more of an insight on Naomi's reactions on when she comes back. Next chapter, we'll have Little Guy's diagnosis and more on his storyline again. It won't be as dramatic and intense as the last one...Hopefully.

I'd love to hear your ideas on this! ^^


	10. Vous êtes secrets ont été découverts

**Adjustment Series:**

**Book One:**

"**Adjusting to Parenthood"**

**By: NV-01**

**Chapter Nine:**

**Vous êtes secrets ont été découverts**

* * *

I sat glaring at the Diagnostician in front of me, my weary blue eyes full of disgust. How could Naomi be friendly with someone like **that**? His green puffy hair, five o'clock shadow and facial that needed a good shave...The horrid stench of cigarette smoke and bitter, faint after-smell of alcohol. The said Diagnostician was too busy pulling in a large computer with a pulsing blue screen, mumbling to himself bitterly.

"To hell with it. RONI, you can stay put just there." Dr. Cunningham muttered, as he planted himself in the chair opposite me, "RONI, bring up the diagnosis charts."

"Yes Doctor Cunningham." The machine answered, "The patient name is: NV-01 he has been requested to be diagnosed by you, Doctor."

"It wasn't me who wanted me to check up on him in the first place." He grumbled darkly. Narrowing my eyes, I ran my hand through my hair and sighed.

"Doctor Cunningham, shall we begin the diagnosis?"

"Well, duh. The sooner this gets done the sooner Naomi gets some results." Dr. Cunningham said flatly.

_Naomi? Couldn't she have checked me herself? *sigh* I don't understand why it had to be __**him**__._

"Understood Doctor. I shall send the full report to Dr. Naomi Kimishima. Please enter the address where you want me to send the report."

"*sigh* Cumberland Institute of Forensic Medicine. Now can we start the damn diagnosis already?"

"Yes Doctor. Please begin with the consultation."

"God damnit...Esha **had** to make you even more annoying." Dr. Cunningham complained, before turning to face me. He coughed nervously, "So..."

I didn't say anything; I just stared at him blankly.

"Great, you're gonna be like that, huh?" Dr. Cunningham groaned, "RONI, read out the list of symptoms that Naomi's given me, will you?"

"Yes Doctor. The symptoms are as followed; Laceration wound on the lower left hand side of the shoulder blade, thin pink scratch on the right hand side of the face, weight loss."

"If you know what's wrong with me, then why are you here?" I asked in a small voice.

"Your _lover's_ orders. RONI, be a dear and give Naomi a call, will you? Her dearest isn't going to co-operate."

I stood up silently and walked as carefully as I could to the door.

_This is just a waste of my time._

"Where do you think you're going?" Dr. Cunningham asked seriously. I turned to face him.

"She saw my...Injuries. I have no reason to be here." I immediately regretted what I had just said, after seeing the devilish smirk appear on the Diagnostician's face.

"Injuries, huh? Well looks like you're not as smart as Naomi gives you credit for."

"Shut it!" I yelled at him, clenching my fists.

"Oh he finally talks." He stated sourly, standing up, "Now to get some answers."

An uneasy shudder of pain ran through my chest, as I coughed violently. I made another attempt for the door, but Dr. Cunningham grabbed hold of my arm tightly.

"Get off of me!" I bellowed. Dr. Cunningham's grip tightened. My eyes stabbed daggers into his narrowed, fired-up amber ones.

"Not until I'm done here." He sneered.

"Damnit" I muttered, as I tried to free myself from Dr. Cunningham's grasp, "Let go of me! Pl-Please!" I tried to yell, but it came out in a small, begging tone. His nails were starting to dig into my skin. It felt exactly like when that woman pinned me down.

"Hm...You're shaking a lot...That's not good." Dr. Cunningham mumbled, releasing my arm, "RONI-

"Understood, Doctor. New symptom observed; Shaking. Doctor, I also detected some coughing and light cases of Dyspnea and Tachypnea shall I add this to the symptoms?"

"Yeah...For future reference, if you can pick up things aren't normal just by observing their talking and reactions just add them in will you?"

"Yes Doctor. New Symptoms observed: Dyspnea, Tachypnea and Coughing."

"Now we are getting somewhere. I know your perfectly healthy disease and virus wise. However, if you're having breathing problems then there must be some sort of injury around the chest area, right?"

I didn't know how much longer I could last through this. _" Do I give up and co-operate with him? He's with Naomi, but he looks far too...shifty-looking to be with Naomi right?"_

Her pale face with widened, glittering blue eyes appeared into my head, _"If...He's really working with her...Then maybe I can...Get through this..."_

"New Symptom Observed: Crying."

"Uh...RONI, are you suffering from a glitch or something?" The diagnostician asked worriedly.

"There is less than 3 percent of a chance for me to be having technical difficulties. Why do you ask, Dr. Cunningham?"

"It's just that...Crying isn't a symptom."

"I was requested by Dr. Kimishima to record everything that the patient was experiencing Doctor, this includes any emotions expressed through facial expressions."

"Ohh" Dr. Cunningham laughed, "Is that so?"

"I...Uh..." I croaked out, brushing away the tears,"I think that...um, there might be a few bruises on my chest and I've been feeling a little dehydrated lately."

"Uh-huh...Anything else...Like what your assailant looked like?"

"Heh, isn't that the FBI's job?" I dryly chuckled, with a small smirk on my face.

"Pff...Smartass..." Dr. Cunningham grumbled, "RONI, I think we've got most of it...We need some scans done at Resurgam as well as a diagnostics test."

"You are correct, Dr. Cunningham. Portland Prison does not have the necessary equipment available to perform the essential scans...Would you like me to request clearance for NV-01 to leave the premises under your responsibility?"

"Well, duh...How else am I gonna get him out of here? Just magically teleport him there?" Dr. Cunningham complained throwing his hands up in the air.

"My processors tell me that it is impossible for a human to "magically teleport" somewhere, as the correct, reliable technology has not been created." RONI stated, saying "magically teleport" in an exact replica of her partner's voice.

"Ugh...You were better when you were all smashed up." The diagnostician growled, tapping his fingers on the chair impatiently, "How long is it gonna take?"

"The request for clearance will take approximately 3-4 days, Dr. Cunningham."

"What! ? *sigh* Stuff that, do what you can to get that request through and send what we have to Naomi..."

He stood up and strode towards the door. He stopped when he stood next to me and laid a hand on my shoulder, "You did well...I didn't like it anymore than you did, but Naomi's sake we're gonna have to work together, m'kay?"

"If it's for Naomi...Then I will." I replied, releasing a relieved and worn out sigh.

"You've got to mean a hell of a lot to her if she's this distracted..."

"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow at the diagnostician that was staring ahead of me with something unreadable in his eyes.

"She's been solely focused on this case and this one alone. Did you know that she got dragged out of CIFM for kicking up a fuss about you being arrested?"

My eyes widened, _"Why is she...doing this?"_

"I don't know what she's going to gain from it, but..." He began, lighting a cigarette and taking a long inhale, "This is the first time she has actually shown some goddamn emotion and that has to be an achievement in itself..." His ochre eyes slid over to me, "Right?"

"I...I guess." I muttered, shrugging off his hand.

He gave me a light tap on the back, "Suppose you had better get going, don't want to keep that cutie that's looking after you waiting." He chuckled, with a wide smirk on his face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I gritted through my teeth, at the stinging sensation on my back. I felt the heat rush to my face, "I don't...Like Agent Weaver like that..."

"Oh, yeah...It's Naomi you like, stupid me." Dr. Cunningham laughed loudly, more heat rushed to my face. I tried to say something, but he just laughed louder, "Heh...I'm...hehe...I'm just kidding, kiddo."

"I'm over 21!"

"Oh good, Naomi isn't a paedophile then. I was worried there that she was sleeping with a child." Dr. Cunningham teased, making me blush harder and rip the cheeky bastard's throat out.

"You **bastard**." I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose, "You know what I meant..."

* * *

Time Skip: 5 hours later

"I guess this is it, until tomorrow Navel." Mizore beamed, dumping a large bag on the floor and entered the pin to open the door to my cell.

The metallic door made an agonising screeching noise, like someone's scream filled with terror and fright, as it slowly dragged itself open. Mizore shivered and rubbed her arms to try to warm them up.

"Damn...That **is** cold, good thing I got this." She silently cursed, reaching for the bag and holding it out for me to take, "This should make it a little bearable in there."

I took the bag from her and felt that the contents was squishy and light, "Uh...Th-Thanks."

"Oh! Don't thank me! That diagnostician gave to me; he said it was from a Mrs. Something or other ...I didn't know you where married, Navel."

_"Trust him to pull a stunt like that..."_ I mentally sighed to myself.

"I'm not; Dr. Cunningham likes to pull pranks on people. It was probably from Dr. Kimishima...The partner I used to work for."

She gasped and stiffened up, "You mean **the** Corpse Whisperer? You weren't...scared of her? I've heard a lot about her from the other staff-"

"I admit...There were times where I was a little scared of her, but that was at my own expense." I laughed softly, "But she was a very kind and generous person to work with."

"_Look at you...Saying such things to an FBI Agent, *bitter laughter* Nozomi wouldn't have liked that...Not __**one**__ bit..." _An old voice entered my mind. It chilled me to the core.

"Navel...Something wrong?" Mizore asked, raising a blue eyebrow.

"N-Nothing...Tell Dr. Kimishima I said thanks...Uh, good night Agent Weaver."

"Tch, its Mizore!" She whined, which broke off into chuckles, "Night!"

* * *

Voila! Did everyone like the diagnosis? Was everyone IC? Or horrifically OOC?

Does anyone have any ideas on who will be in the courtroom?

Any improvements I could make?

Please let me know :D

**Edit:** Okay, hopefully Little Guy is a little more back into character and the chapter doesn't flow too quickly.

Thanks goes to; Twistedjabberjays, Kadabrafreak890 and LUUErocks for helping me with this chapter when it was posted up the first time round, hopefully I did it better this time round!

Sorry it took so long to edit!


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